Day 3542

Good grief. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I noticed that a large tree had fallen in the back yard. How did this happen? The skies were clear last night and there was no wind. Even stranger was the fact that neither Janet or I heard the tree fall. The tree was well over a foot in diameter. It had to make a large crash when it fell. This wasn't the Elm tree that was damaged during our June storms either. It was an Oak that I thought was healthy. At least the tree didn't fall on my head while I was taking out the garbage last night.

We are nowhere near the hurricane and yet our yard looks like it was hit by a hurricane. The remains of our Elm tree still needs to be removed. Our demolished greenhouse still hasn't been repaired. And now one of our Oak trees has joined the mess. I tried to call the guy who trims our trees but he was on vacation in Arkansas. It looks like it is going to be difficult to get to the back gate for a while.

It's sad to lose these old growth trees. We now have only half the trees we started with. It is almost inevitable that we will lose the rest someday. Our trees are no different than similar old trees in the park. They are all nearing the end of their natural life. Insects attack the trees. Wind and weather takes its toll. Eventually the wood gets brittle and the tree falls.

I've been thinking I missed a doctor's appointment for several days, so I finally called the clinic to see if I was imagining things. Usually doctors offices send you a reminder. The receptionist looked up my records and told me I had an appointment several days from now. I wonder if they ever were going to remind me? I've got the appointment on my calendar now but I kind of wish I'd just forgotten about it. Now it don't have any excuse to skip the visit.

I got a text from the phone company today telling me that I'd used up my data plan for the month. What? I thought I had an unlimited data plan. I sat on hold with customer service for a while, only to discover that there never was unlimited data associated with my account. What was I thinking? Maybe I had unlimited data when I first got the account years ago and somewhere along the line, the phone company eliminated it. This happens a lot. I've had most of my accounts for so long that plans change and eventually the company gets tired of grandfathering my old plan in their new program.

The hotter it gets, the less I feel like walking. I did my five miles today but it felt like a chore. I keep moving because I know it is good for me, but I'd really rather just sleep. There are so many little problems that need attention and I'm just not in the mood. Old house. Old trees. Old roof. Old body. It adds up after a while. It won't take much for Janet to convert me into a traveler. When you are away from home, you don't have to think about these things.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2830

It never ends. I was just getting ready to go to the grocery store this afternoon when I heard a horrendous noise. I went outside to see what had happened and discovered that a big chunk of our elm tree has just fallen on the roof. I wasn't expecting this. There was no wind today and the large branch that had fallen was alive and filled with leaves. I didn't do anything immediately, but knew how I was going to be spending the rest of the afternoon as soon as I returned from the store.

I guess I should have expected this. The day certainly didn't get off to a good start. Dash wouldn't eat anything this morning. He even turned up his nose at the canned food he normally loves. This was kind of a crisis, because it is essential that he takes his phenobarbital pills to prevent seizures and they must be taken with food. I finally got him to take his morning pills inside several balls of cheddar cheese. We needed him to eat more than a little cheese, so we scrambled an egg for him. He ate the egg and then immediately went back to sleep.

Dash's poor appetite has me worried. I called his regular vet and made an appointment for early next week. Then I called the emergency vet who bandaged him up last Tuesday to see whether the antibiotics she prescribed might be part of the problem. Since Cephalexin does cause loss of appetite with some dogs, she decided to stop the medication and see if we notice any changes in the next 24 hours. I think this will be OK, since the dewclaw wound is healing nicely and doesn't seem to be infected. Hopefully, the antibiotics are causing the problem. Otherwise this might be tough to diagnose. I'm always worried that Dash's cancer could have returned. That could certainly cause a loss of appetite.

When I returned from the grocery store today, I pulled a heavy duty reciprocal saw up to the roof with a rope and began sawing apart the elm tree that had fallen. This was a very large branch and I was surprised that it didn't seriously damage the roof. I guess the little branches with green leaves fell first and cushioned the blow. This job would have been a lot easier with a chain saw, but I'm scared to death of chain saws. I won't go near them after a friend of mine practically sawed his face off with one. Wood is heavy. I feel like I sawed about a thousand pounds of wood this afternoon. Too bad we've already had big trash day for September. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this wood until the next big trash day.

I was dreading this evening because Janet is away at a Dalmatian Rescue event. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I expected. I managed to get Dash to take a decent walk on his own. He took all his evening pills and I was even able to get him to eat a small dinner. I had to hand feed him, but considering the problems we had this morning, this is progress.

The refrigerator doesn't seem to be working again. It seemed too warm this evening when I was preparing dinner. Maybe Janet just left the door open a long time when she was loading in new groceries. We'll see if it cools down again by morning. I guess it would make sense that there would still be problems. The appliance repairmen still haven't returned to install the new thermostats they ordered. It's entirely possible that the coil has frozen again. I'll have to call the repair shop on Monday and see what the delay is. They should have been able to find a thermostat by now.

I hope Dash is feeling better tomorrow. It might be a really long day. I don't know any magic formula to get Dash eating again. I guess if things continue to deteriorate, I can always try feeding him whatever I'm eating. I'll have to make a point of eating something healthy though.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2652

We got lucky. There was a horrendous storm last night with 70 mile per hour straight line winds. Our power was out for about five hours, but the electricity was restored around breakfast time so we hardly even noticed the outage. At some point during the storm I heard the heavy thump of a tree limb hitting the roof, but when I looked this morning there was no damage. The limb was small enough that I was able to remove it without much difficulty. For the most part, Dot and Dash slept through the storm, so we didn't have the usual thunder and lightning issues.

I didn't really realize how bad the storm was until we took our morning walk. There were dozens of large trees that had been blown over in the park. Some looked like a giant had pulled them out of the ground by their roots.  There were sticks and twigs everywhere. Some of the tree limbs were in fields where there were no trees, so the wind must have blown them there. Even the birdhouses for the Purple Martins had been blown over.

When I turned on the television I saw that entire houses had been demolished in some parts of town. Thousands of people were without power this morning. Often our electricity is the last to be restored after a major power outage, but this time it looked like they got to us first. As I said, we got lucky last night.

I really need to remember to always keep all my devices charged. My first thought when the power went out was that I hadn't charged my phone or laptop. When the company was busy and I had lots of deadlines, having a working computer available at all times was a top priority. Now the computers aren't as much of an issue. What I worry about these days is losing the washing machine. A day without a washing machine with Dot peeing all over the place would be a disaster.

The refrigerator was looking kind of empty, so I went back to Central Market and got another one of those bowls for dinner. These tasty one-dish meals are great. It would be difficult to make something like this myself. The shredded beef was braised in soy sauce. The kale and mushrooms were roasted and had kind of a smoky flavor. The carrots and cucumbers appeared to be marinated. Even the barley that everything was piled on top of was delicious. I'm not even going to pretend to cook things anymore. It's so much easier and fun to buy something like this.

Dot had a good day, but Dash was moody again. The first two times I tried to walk him this afternoon, he wouldn't leave the back yard. I gave up and walked Dot instead. After dinner this evening, Dash decided that he wanted to walk after all and we had a nice sunset stroll. I have no idea what goes through this dog's mind. Why would he refuse to walk at 4 PM, but be eager to walk at sunset? I have to stay flexible because Dot is not very predictable either. Some days she wants to walk first. Other days she is tired and doesn't want to walk at all.

I hope the nasty weather is over for a while. I know we'll have more storms, because Spring is all about stormy weather here in Texas. I'm glad I had the trees trimmed a few weeks ago, because I'm sure that some of the limbs they trimmed would have fallen last night. Actually, I need to get the tree guy to come back. I saw several more dead limbs when I was up on the roof this morning.

I need to get the water off the roof tomorrow. The car is dirty and the grass needs to be mowed as well. I guess it all depends on how well I sleep tonight.

Elliot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2627

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I've mentioned that Dash was becoming a finicky eater. Well, last night he threw up his dinner and this morning he refused to eat at all. We walked the dogs to see if this would settle Dash's stomach and then tried to feed him again. He still wasn't interested. We got him to eat a small amount of canned dog food so he could take his morning meds and then an hour later, he threw this up as well. This was not good. I called his oncologist as well as his regular vet and arranged to take him in so they could give him an injection of Cerenia to stop the vomiting. After waiting an hour, I had to give him a second phenobarbital pill, because he threw up the first one we gave him this morning. The other pills can wait, but the phenobarbital is essential.

Dash's vet thought that he was still experiencing symptoms from vestibular disease and when the oncologist contacted me later in the morning, he agreed. They both said that it could take from two weeks to three months to fully recover from a bout of old dog vestibular disease. So, here we are. I've got two sick dogs with very different needs. Both need a lot of attention and it's hard to deal with one without something happening to the other.

Dash seemed out of it for most of the day, but when I eventually fed him some bland food the vet gave me for a sensitive stomach, he held it down. Since Dash is still feeling some vertigo or motion sickness as a result of his vestibular seizures, we may have to put him back on an anti-nausea drug. Hopefully the Cerenia will stabilize him, since it is pretty mild and has few side effects.

I took Dash on a short walk later in the afternoon. Although he walked slowly and seemed a bit tentative, he showed no signs of another vestibular event. This was good. I walked very slowly and let him relax. When we returned to the house, I immediately noticed that Dot had knocked over her protective fence and was sitting in a pile of poop. Like I said, I've got two sick dogs with very different needs.

I hope we can get Dash stabilized quickly. While I was cleaning up vomit on the carpet last night, Dot decided to poop in her bed. It was hard to decide which mess needed my attention first. Needless to say, it was a hectic day. A continual barrage of poop, pee, and vomit can generate a lot of laundry and even more worry.

To cap off the day, I heard a giant thud on the roof as I was preparing dinner this evening. I went out to investigate and discovered that one of the dead limbs I've been waiting for the tree trimmers to remove had fallen. The wood was rotten and the tree limb broke apart when it fell, so there was no damage to the roof. I'm really glad the limb fell on the roof instead of in the back yard. It was large enough that it would have injured me or the dogs if we were underneath when it fell. Now, there is an added urgency to get the trees trimmed quickly, but getting anyone's attention lately has been difficult.

Stress eats away at you slowly. I wonder if I'll even recognize when I'm completely burned out. Maybe I'm there already. The past two years have definitely been a challenge. I know I complain too much and that there are many people with far more serious problems than I have. Nevertheless, it would sure be nice to have two healthy dogs and a little peace and tranquility.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2222

I don't believe in numerology, but I'd like to think that days like 2222 have some sort of special significance. I guess all days are special in one way or another. The last time we had a day like this was way back toward the end of 2012. On Day 1111, Dot and Dash were still healthy enough to run and play at the dog park. It was a cold, clear Winter day much like today. I took some stuff to the storage warehouse that day and went looking for a new floor lamp at Home Depot. Nothing has changed and everything has changed. I wonder what Day 3333 will be like?

It would be funny if I was still going to my favorite breakfast restaurant on Day 3333. I'm bound to get tired of this place eventually. For now, it's still a delicious change of pace and a nice way to end the week. I actually got to the restaurant a little later this morning because there were no accidents during the night and both dogs slept well. When the dogs sleep, Janet and I get to sleep a little longer too.

There was no real reason to get started early today anyway. There wasn't that much to do. Since I'm more or less caught up on work again, I spent the day doing little things around the house. I finally discovered why the sliding glass door is sticking. It's not a broken roller as I initially thought. On closer examination, I noticed that the entire wall has shifted a bit and the ceiling and floor aren't quite parallel anymore. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have a floor to ceiling sliding glass door. Now, when I open the door it is traveling very slightly downhill. After about two feet, the bottom of the aluminum door touches the metal track that keeps it in place and friction brings the heavy door to a stop. I'm not sure what to do about this. I suspect it would be a lot easier to replace a roller in the door than to re-position the entire wall.

I took a small check to the bank today and paid most of the Christmas credit card bills. If there aren't any unexpected vet bills or household emergencies next month, I might actually have a little money left over. I don't know why I even try to keep things in balance anymore though. The stock market had an absolutely horrible day. So far, this might be the worst January for the market on record. Very few people have escaped this market downturn because just about everything has gone down significantly. Could I have invested more wisely? I doubt it. A lot of things are just out of our control these days. I mean, who would have thought that the price of oil would come down to twenty dollars a barrel again? Wasn't it over a hundred dollars a barrel just a short while ago?

A large limb from one of the Oak Trees fell in the yard this morning. Luckily, the limb didn't hit the house, the dogs, or myself. These trees are getting old and falling limbs are becoming a common occurrence. It's probably time to get the trees trimmed again. I used to have a tree trimmer come out every year, but I've let things slide a bit. Tree trimming, like everything else, has gotten expensive. Hey, if I don't look up, I don't notice how bad things have become. I need to put taking care of the trees on my to-do list. One more big ice storm and I'm sure some other limbs are going to fall. I don't want one of them falling on my head.

Our crazy weather continues.  It warmed up and was quite nice today, but I hear there is a possibility of snow tomorrow.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1375

I said goodby to the Defender today. I've had this car for seventeen years and it's hard to imagine life without it. There has always been a full size metal dog crate in the back. Frequently, the crate was used to take Dot or Dash to the vet. Other times it was used to transport recently rescued Dalmatians from the pound. When it wasn't full of dogs, the crate was often full of photo equipment. I got a lot of use out of this fabulous car.

As regular readers are well aware, the Defender also spent a lot of time in the shop.  As the car grew older, the problems gradually became more serious. I finally decided I'd been towed to the dealership one too many times. I knew I had a window of opportunity where the car was still desirable, even though it wasn't all that reliable anymore. I knew it was time to move on. I'm driving a new car now, with all the bells and whistles that people expect in 2013. I doubt that the new car will last for seventeen years though. I doubt that I will even want to keep a car for seventeen years again. Hell, seventeen years from now, they probably won't even allow me on the road.

I'd forgotten how many papers you have to sign when you buy a car. Cleaning out  the old car and getting it ready to trade and then doing all the paperwork at the dealership to get me into the new car took the better part of the day. I wasn't in any hurry though. It was pouring rain when I arrived at the dealership this morning and I was hoping the rain would stop before it was time for me to drive away. I didn't really want my very first trip in the new car to be a rain soaked obstacle course full of stressed out texting Dallas drivers determined to beat every red light. There are lots of accidents when it rains in Dallas.

I got lucky. It took so long to get all the paperwork signed that the skies were already clearing by the time I got behind the wheel and took the new car on its inaugural drive home. I wasn't so lucky with the roof last night. Sometime during the night we were all awakened by the loud crash of a tree limb hitting the roof. It sounded like a large limb and indeed it was when I climbed up on the roof this afternoon to assess the damage. The good news was that this particular branch wasn't dead and still had lots of leaves on it. The leaves cushioned the blow and I don't think the roof sustained any damage. The bad news was that the branch was awkward and quite heavy, so I had trouble getting it off the roof.

So, that was my day. There a is new car in the driveway and a large old Oak limb out by the curb. I hope I made the right decision getting a new car. You never know with cars. The Defender fit my needs and my personality like a glove. I loved that car, but I've also had my share of lemons over the years. We'll see how this new one works out.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1281

I needed to pick up a paint pen today to repair some gear. Paint pens are handy little tools for touching up nicks and scratches on camera lenses and just about the only place you can find them is in a hobby shop. Have you been in a hobby shop lately? I'm always amazed when I go into one of these places on a normal work day and discover it is filled with grown men who appear to have never worked a day in their life. They are all busy contemplating the latest radio controlled cars, or busy buying a new paintball gun. I think the only time women venture inside a hobby shop is when they are buying a birthday present for small boys. The rest of the time, these places are filled with grown men. I found my little paint pen and left, but it was hard to resist the urge to buy some sort of model myself. Hey, all guys like model cars, don't they?

While I was working this morning, I heard a loud noise outside, followed by flickering electricity for a moment. I though maybe another electric transformer had failed in the neighborhood. It wasn't until a few hours later that I discovered that the source of the noise was one of the large Oak trees in our back yard. Wind and rain had weakened one of the limbs and it had come crashing to the ground. I didn't notice the limb immediately because it landed vertically and looked like another tree had suddenly appeared inside a patch of ground cover. It's a good thing the dogs were inside when the tree limb fell. It landed right where Dot usually pees.

It rained again this morning. It's been raining so much lately that mushrooms are starting to grow in the new backyard landscaping. I'd really prefer grass to mushrooms, but I guess you can't have everything. I'm going to have the landscaping guys come over tomorrow and haul away the broken tree limb. Maybe they can tell me why the grass still isn't growing very well after all the work they did. I suspect they will tell me that a few more tree limbs need to fall, so the yard can start getting some sun.

I had quite a bit of writing work to finish today. I kind of envied those guys at the hobby shop with nothing better to do than play with radio controlled cars and helicopters. I've never bought a radio controlled car, but I'd probably have fun with one. I could attach a GoPro camera and photograph squirrels in the backyard. I remember years ago I had a fashion shoot at the home of Ozzie Osborne's drummer. When this guy wasn't on tour, all he did was play with radio controlled cars in his driveway. I kind of envied him too. Of course at the time, I had the job most guys wanted. I photographed fashion models.

Today, it's just me and the dogs in a quiet room with a powerful computer. I finished all my writing work and went up on the roof to clear away the rain water. The roof doesn't leak anymore, but it still doesn't drain well. I'm disappointed that after all the money I spent that I still have to climb up on the roof at all. Tomorrow is my birthday. I suspect that it will be a lot like today.

Rugby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day